Former teacher Christopher Wright Stain jailed for persistent sexual exploitation of student 40 years ago

A former teacher and Bible group leader rationalised sexually abusing a 13-year-old for more than a year because he “loved her”, a court has heard.

Christopher Stain outside court before he was jailed. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

A former teacher who sexually abused a 13-year-old rural high school student had taught his victim the word of God, then defied his faith by abusing her, a court has heard.

Christopher Wright Stain, 67, was jailed for at least 14 months for the offences which began about 40 years ago.

In sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Joana Fuller said Stain, who was married with children and running a Bible study group at the time of the offending, had genuinely loved his victim.

“You rationalised the unlawful sexual relationship that you had with her by reference to your belief that you were in love with her and that she and you would eventually marry,” she said.

Stain previously pleaded guilty to persistent sexual exploitation of a child for his crimes against the victim in the early 1980s.

When the offending began, Stain was in his late 20s and her teacher. He abused her at least 20 times over more than a year.

The offending began when the girl told Stain she had been raped.

He would drive her home from school, invite her to his home and drive her to appointments in Adelaide.

She said at one point, after the victim had feared she was pregnant, Stain told her she needed him and they should spend more time together.

Judge Fuller said the victim felt pressured to continue the relationship. It ended when the girl was 14, and she “wanted to break the hold (Stain) had over her”.

Judge Fuller said Stain held a position of trust and had a strong Christian faith.

“Ironically you Christian faith is a faith you held when you committed this offending,” she said.

“No matter how much love and care and concern you felt for, or showed to her, the relationship was wrong in the eyes of the law, the community and the God you worship.

“You taught (the victim) the word of God, then you defied it.”

Judge Fuller said the offending had a profound effect on Stain’s victim.

“She said she wants to hand to you the 38 years of shame to carry as your burden, not hers,” she said.

“Children must be allowed to be children for as long as they can and that means that every adult, particularly those in positions of trust or responsibility should never allow their own desires and emotions to take a child’s childhood away.”

The judge told Christopher Stain that adults “should never allow their own desires and emotions to take a child’s childhood away”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Judge Fuller said the woman had decided to report Stain’s offending only recently “because she could not live with the thought you might be engaging in the same behaviour with other girls”.

“She experienced and continues to experience great shame as a result of your offending.”

She said Stain had a low risk of reoffending.

“In almost 40 years since the offending there’s been not a single complaint of inappropriate behaviour by you,” she said.

Judge Fuller said she would have jailed Stain for six and a half years but reduced the sentence to three years, 10 months and 25 days on account of his early plea.